Blair Books

On the minus side:
- The author seems overly concerned with the background of individual officers, especially whether they were West Point or ROTC, their ages, when they were commissioned, who their service "friends" were, etc. I started skimming these paragraphs about halfway through because most of them did not meaningfully contribute to understanding the subsequent events.
- The maps are not particularly enlightening and the way they are printed makes them extremely difficult to read. More "mini maps" illustrating particular operations or engagements would have been helpful.
- The author has a very annoying habit of massively over-using the phrase "Inasmuch as," often several times on a single page.
- Criticism of defecient commanders and praise of good officers both seem a bit heavy-handed at times. Apparently every officer in Korea was either a Genius Hero or an Incompetent Fool.
- Little detail or analysis of decisions or conditions on the North/Communist side.
- Scant detail of the air war.

On the plus side:
- Well researched. Plenty of evidence is presented to support the author's conclusions and analyses. Dude seems to have done enough homework to justify his opinions.
- Good background of the domestic and international political contexts from the UN/US/Allied side that affected how and why the war was fought.
- Comprehensive overview of the conflict. Probably not a bad place to start one's study of this important but nearly forgotten conflict.

I first read this book in 1988 and was amazed by the detail and level of research. This book pulls no punches on the incompetence of the US Army's leadership and the Truman Administration's pre-war behaviour that led to the initial disasters. Blair also gives Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson his fair share of criticism. Johnson was ill-suited for the position (think of Rumsfeld, but not nearly as capable) which ultimately cost American lives. A must read.

The Forgotten War: America in Korea is an exhaustive study of command level combat in Korea. While the title claims to cover the war for 1950 thru its conclusion in 1953, in reality only perhaps 25 pages cover the last two years of the war.
Blair states in his introduction that he was especially interested in command level decisions, and the influence of West Pointers in specific. There is very little detail of 'soldier's stories' or any popular or oral history. To some degree, this renders the book a bit sterile although the combat descriptions, especially quite early in the conflict during the retreat to the Pusan perimeter, are thrilling. Further, every time a new commander is introduced, Blair gives a short biographical sketch. I found these redundant and annoying later on in the book. Further, Blair is not shy about criticizing political decisions behind the policy decisions. In particular, his treatment of Truman, many of Truman's political appointees, and MacArthur is scathing. To be fair, while Blair shows eventual Eighth Army commander and MacArthur's replacement, General Ridgeway, as a true hero, to the author's credit he does not refrain from criticizing Ridgeway for dangerously obstructionist behavior during the eventual peace talks. True or not, a lot of this criticism would be more effective had some attempt been made to give a 'man in the trench' perspective. Blair gives a lot of detail of Medal of Honor recipients, but not much besides that.
The basic criticism of the book is that Korea was not a vital part of America's strategic design, and that the decision to intervene was done without thought to preparedness or ramifications. According the Blair, Truman resented, mistrusted and then gutted the military... and then sent them to Korea with little thought as to 'why.' Its an interesting thought, and reading the book I couldn't stop thinking of the parallels to the present. MacArthur is treated as just being publicity hungry, irresponsible and past his prime. It doesn't sound serious until you consider the number of corpses left behind. The book never touches the interesting question of was, given 20-20 hindsight, the war a success? The U.S. didn't win per se, but South Korea is certainly a success story. I suppose each person is left to himself to reach his own conclusion as to whether it was worth it. In any case, despite the massive size, and lack of 'personal' perspectives to the war, The Forgotten War is well worth the trouble. I don't think I ever fully understood the war until after I read this book.

A very finely written book, that delves into the people that shaped the war. The first chapter, that deals with all the characters and events that broght about the demobilization of the armed forces after WWII is absolutely riveting. The final chapter on the settlement talks is also as comprehensive as any book on the subject that I've read. Throughout the book, there is great attention to all the figures that shaped the war. There is only one caveat. That is, the bulk of the book on the war itself, is a case of overkill. I literally found myself skimming parts, simply because it seemed like I had read it all before. While technially a great achievement. I think that a 500 page book, with the first and last parts left intact, may have had a greater impact. Nonetheless, this is a definite must read on this war.

My Dad who was in the that war told me that it was one of the best books he had read on the war. Enough said.

This audio book contains one very intriguing mystery. It was great all the way to the end. Well done--I really liked it!

This is the first time reading Mr. Walker's novels, but one thing for sure, I'm definetly hooked. I found myself laughing out loud and sometimes saying "oh uh uh". And once starting "HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW" I didn't and couldn't put it down. A easy read but, also very tantalizing.

Mr. Walker's writing is refreshing after reading about "she did me wrong, or he aint' about nothing books". Can't hardly wait for the next book!

HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW is an engrossing mystery set in Baltimore, Maryland.
Someone is killing a seemingly unrelated set of African-American professionals
in their late thirties. Each victim is found in the bathtub of his/her home
with a decal of the confederate flag attached to the center of his/her
forehead. The police are stumped and seem at a loss when it comes to solving
a case which reveals no clear cause of death. Homicide detective Phillip
Gardner seeks assistance from former reporter turned editor, Darryl Billups,
who worked with him in the past on a case that won them national attention.
Darryl attacks the scene with a reporter's curiosity and intuition which has
him quickly stumbling into the killer's path. It is not long before he
earns himself a place on the killer's hit list.

Blair Walker has written a fast-paced thriller that draws you in from word
one. He gets into the minds of his characters in a way that displays the
strengths and vulnerabilities of each. His style has you empathizing not only
with Darryl and the victims, but the killer as well. Walker switches deftly
between street vernacular and proper English seamlessly throughout scenes and
dialogue. The characters are amusing, endearing and downright frustrating at
times. HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW is a satisfying and encompassing read that is
sure to please mystery lovers.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Blair Walker sweeps you along on another incredible case of his nemesis, Daryl Billups, and what a case it is. He allows you to walk in the footsteps of the murderer and see through their eyes without ever once looking in the mirror to tell you exactly who it was. From this vantage point the reader experiences the insanity even though they can't quite grasp the process that makes it tick. Hidden In Plain View provides the reader with enough suspense to keep them in the pages and enough thrills to insure completion. Congratulations Blair on another intelligent, insightful and well written offering to the literary arena.

Darryl Billups is back in Baltimore and this time his focus is intra-racial i.e. black-on-black crime with a twist. When black professionals start turning up dead in Baltimore at upscale addresses the usual easy answers--drugs and gangs, for such crimes aren't applicable. The mysterious unseen causes of these deaths aren't made any clearer by the autopsies and suggest that the killer has a very diabolic mind and method. The novel is written in both first and third person. Darryl speaks to us in first person so that we follow him along as he gains new information and works to put the puzzle together. In alternating chapters the killer and the killer's actions are described in third person, allowing the identity to remain a mystery until close to the end, when the reader discovers who it is first. As the novel picks up pace in its concluding chapters, you have a strong desire to warn Daryl of the danger ahead, but you're force to race through the pages, hoping and praying that he'll figure it out in time to save those closest to him. A true spell-binder, equal to and surpassing his previous novel and every bit as good in its own right and for its genre as his autobiography on Reggie Lewis was for its.

If you like to get out with your camera and take some excellent hikes and pictures this is a very well rounded book. Good directions, descriptions of the falls and even suggestions for the best way to photograph the falls. Most of these are not road side falls so if you are looking for that, you might be disapointed but that is not the fault of the author, the majority of the "good" falls are not on main highways!

There is no way for anyone to list all the waterfalls in North Carolina, but this book does give very complete information on the falls that are accessible to most people. The directions are clear and the ratings are very helpful. Even if you consider yourself to be an adequate photographer, this book gives specific hints for the different locations. I have used and enjoyed the public library copy so much I finally bought it!

I'm sure no one has written a book more extensively covering Waterfalls of North Carolina than this one. It remains an excellent guide to many of the wterfalls included. But one drawback at this point in time, as the author acknowledges on his own web site, is that the book needs updating now, as several trail accesses have changed. He says he's been wanting to update it for some time but the publishers have been slow to warm up to the idea. Hopefully, that will change. I have no comprehensive list of all the directions in the book that are now out of date, but here are a few hints: Unfortunately the Bob's Creek Pocket Wilderness as described in his Marion Hub seems to have been abolished and is no longer oper to the public. A company that formerly owned it allowed it to be a protected wilderness with what was even designated a National Recreation Trail. Many of us thought that designation would protect it forever. I'm afraid it turned out to be a short forever. I was fortunate to go there in the last years of its accessability. The waterfalls there were small and never the highlight, but it was a nice area now sorely missed. In his Saluda hub, the road providing access to Little Bradley Falls has recently been realigned, making the trail as described hard to find. I was with a group that did find the falls. But the change can leave you disoroented and with a very sttep roadbank looming and no obvious way to find a less steep descent in or climb out. On a more positive note, where his Hendersonville and Brevard hubs meet, there's a new thing called DuPont State Forest, providing new public views of at least four waterfalls. These include the modest Hooker Falls and the much larger Triple Falls and High Falls, and also another smaller one I've not yet seen, Wintergreen Falls (not to be confused with a falls of the same name farther west and covered in the book). At that farther west location, quite a bit of change has occurred in his Lake Toxaway hub. One thing is the new Gorges State Park, now encompassing about half of the land owned by Crescent Resources at the time the book indicates. It will preserve several waterfalls and presumably ultimately provide smoother trails to them, including the second mentioned Wintergreen Falls. But the park is now in early development stages and hasn't provided any new waterfall paths just yet. It does now provide the parking of choice for the Horsepasture River, just outside its western edge. The parking lot for the park, just off NC 281, less than a mile south of US 64, is now the place to park for the Horsepasture River. One then walks back to the road, turns left, and a short distance down the road picks up a 3/4 mile trail down to the Horsepasture River. Once there one turns right to hike to a view of Drift Falls, now form behind fences and no-traspassing signs, or turns left to views of the other falls on the Horsepasture River, the trail downriver from there not having changed much. The access to the Horsepasture as described in the book has now been made off-limits by no-parking signs along the road and no-trespassing signs where the book's directions called for scrambling down the bank. The old directions had the hike starting very close to Drift Falls, which was then said to be on Nantahala National Forest Land, but the present state of affairs seems to imply that it is just outside that public land. Although Drift Falls is visible from the road, at least in low-foliage seasons, the no-parking signs now make the prospect of parking there to see it forbidding. Best to hike from just downroad from the state park parking lot to see any of the Horsepasture's falls, which adds most of 3/4 mile to any of the distances given in the book. In the book's Waynesville hub little has changed, except the last steep part of the descent to Second Falls has been replaced by a wooden stairway, bypassing the steep part of the footpath, badly eroded by the HIGH volume of visitors to that falls. Nearby Yellowstone Falls is as hard to view as ever, and the overlook providing a limited view from the trail is made harder to find using the book's directions, due to a proliferation of campfire rings. The best safe view of that Falls is still from the Blue Ridge Parkway, a distant view where binoculars help. In the Hot Springs hub, I feel fairly certain that the hike to the falls on West Prong of Hickey Fork has been lengthened somewhat from the book's directions by a trail relocation that added switchbacks. That makes part of the hike less steep, but one needs allow extra time for the longer distance (maybe up to 50% longer) and carefully finding the trail where it doesn't quite match the book's directions. In the Burnsville hub, the falls on Big Creek is about as hard to find as any roadside falls can be. This seems in part because the junction of US 19, US 19E, and US 19W seems to have been slightly relocated, making the 17.5 miles from that junction in the directions a bit inaccurate. Instead look for the pull-off as about 1.8 miles beyond the little sign identifying the community of Sioux, or about 4.2 miles from the Tennessee line, if approaching from the opposite direction, and the only pulloff in that vicinity with guardrails coming right up to both ends of it. You cannot see the falls from your car; it is below road level and you must park and get out. Riding along and listening for the sound is little help, as there are numerous noisy rapids along that part of Big Creek. Finally in the Stone Mountain hub, the trails have not changed much, but the location of the picnic area has. Park officials can tell you where to find the old route from where the picnic area was. But actually you can hike from the new picnic area and it is closer that way to Stone Mountain Falls at least. You'd just feel disoriented if going only by the book's directions, because you'll reach the top of the falls rather than the bottom first, and then go right from the bottom of the stairs if you still wish to reach the smaller middle and lower falls, or go left there to the nearby base of the main falls.

When my photo trip to Yellowstone was cancelled, I was heartbroken. As I was browsing the net looking for an alternate place to vacation (a place closer to our FL home) I came across a site on NC Waterfalls. I then browsed [...] and found this book and liked what I read in the reviews. This book was a real vacation saver! It is extremely specific and it is quite obvious that the author when to an enormous amount of time, trouble and travel to write the perfect waterfall seekers book. Not only does he provide the waterfall locations, the trail lengths and difficulty ratings, but he also gives fantastic photo tips. He organizes the book in area locations so we found hotels in the areas that provided the falls that appealed to us and spent a day or two hiking each region. Out of the 51 falls we attempted to find, we located 49. The 2 we missed were remote and the trails were probably so overgrown that we couldn't find them. The author rates each fall according to a "beauty rating" taht he assigns, and in our opinion, he is dead on. When we were running out of vacation days, we stuck mostly to falls that had at least a 5 out of 10. Thanks to his ratings, we didn't waste precious time searching for waterfalls that would be a disappointment. All I have to say about this book is -- excellent job! During our vacation, we spent a few days in PA & NY and looked for a book similar to this one to outline the falls in those states. There was nothing! Once you've had the best, no other book compares.

When my photo trip to Yellowstone was cancelled, I was heartbroken. As I was browsing the net looking for an alternate place to vacation (a place closer to our FL home) I came across a site on NC Waterfalls. I then browsed Amazon.com and found this book and liked what I read in the reviews. This book was a real vacation saver! It is extremely specific and it is quite obvious that the author when to an enormous amount of time, trouble and travel to write the perfect waterfall seekers book. Not only does he provide the waterfall locations, the trail lengths and difficulty ratings, but he also gives fantastic photo tips. He organizes the book in area locations so we found hotels in the areas that provided the falls that appealed to us and spent a day or two hiking each region. Out of the 51 falls we attempted to find, we located 49. The 2 we missed were remote and the trails were probably so overgrown that we couldn't find them. The author rates each fall according to a "beauty rating" that he assigns, and in our opinion, he is dead on. When we were running out of vacation days, we stuck mostly to falls that had at least a 5 out of 10. Thanks to his ratings, we didn't waste precious time searching for waterfalls that would be a disappointment. All I have to say about this book is -- excellent job! During our vacation, we spent a few days in PA & NY and looked for a book similar to this one to outline the falls in those states. There was nothing! Once you've had the best, no other book compares.

I'm a huge fan of Mary Blair's work so naturally I wanted a copy of the work she did for Cinderella. The book arrived in a timely fashion and in great condition. It's also a wonderful picture book for kids. Thank you!

Mary Blair's art adds a great dimension to this adaptation of Disney's Cinderella. Her art was used as reference and inspiration for that final animated feature as well as countless other Disney classics. You will be charmed by her style and Rylant's fresh retelling of this fairy tale.

The best thing about this book is that it is full of concept art for Disney's CINDERELLA by Mary Blair. Mary Blair is perhaps best known as the designer of the IT'S A SMALL WORLD ride at Disneyland theme parks, but she was a key concept artist at Disney for all of the 1940s. She came back from time to time to work on certain projects including various duties with the theme parks. Here concept art helped to inspire the animators and her greatest influence is in the films ALICE IN WONDERLAND, PETER PAN and CINDERELLA. Her art work is so delightful and having a collection of Mary Blair's work all in one book is a treasure. The text of the story is simplistic and designed for a pre-school level of understanding. Buy it for the art of Mary Blair.

The full page presentations of these paintings are well worth the cost of this storybook. Get one copy for the kids to thrash now and another for them to relish in their later years. I only wish there were more Blair paintings to cover the world with (however small it may be) Hats off to the publishers for spending extra money and effort to make this a truly 'special' edition.

This stunning, sophisticated new adaptation of perhaps the most beloved fairy tale of all time will appeal to children as well as adult collectors. The gorgeous art work comes from veteran Disney artist Mary Blair, who helped define the look of the Cinderella film through her storyboard art, which is used in this handsomely designed volume. The colors of the text pages harmonize beautifully with the tones in the artwork on the opposite page, and the designer intersperses traditional French graphic designs with the text, such as fleur-de-lys. The art work, although recognizable to Disney fans from the movie, has a very different look than typical Disney storybooks, with a more fluid, almost abstract style, in which the figures are often dwarfed by the grandeur of the backgrounds. It is clear that Blair was influenced by 18th century French masters such as Fragonard in her artwork. Cynthia Rylant's retelling of the story is romantic to the extreme, and manages to breathe fresh life into the familiar old tale. She emphasizes the role of Love, dark and lightness, while omitting many of the familiar elements of the Disney film, such as the mice, cats, birds, and other animals who clamor around Cinderella. This magnificent fairy tale adaptation belongs on the shelf of every girl's library. Due to the length of the text, recommended for children four and older.

You'll appreciate Christmas more after you read this book. And if you've read An Undeniable Rogue, An Unforgettable Rogue, and An Unmistakable Rogue, you have to read this book where all the couples come together. This one is about Ash, an aristocrat, and Lark, a guttersnipe. It's My Fair Lady with a laugh out loud bite, good sex and a Father Christmas who brings amazing gifts. Read it. You won't be sorry. No wonder it won so many awards. Try Blair's Witch series while you're at it. Those books are award winners too.

Ash and Lark heat up the pages in this Regency Historical twist on the Pygmalion story. Ash needs a wife and Lark needs a bath, but he's drunk as a skunk and her father is aiming a gun at him, and well, he does need a wife.

This is one of the most hilarious and sexy of Blair's Rogues and that's saying something. You'll never know where she's going to take you, and I can only say, that sex in a tree, and the trip through the root cellar for a look at parsnips held me captive.

The Christmas house party with all the rogues from the previous three books, An Undeniable Rogue, An Unforgettable Rogue, and An Unmistakable Rogue is not to be mised. It's magic. Christmas Magic. Love and life and an ending that will have you spellbound. Kudos Ms. Blair. But I want more Rogues!

Also Highly Recommended: The Kitchen Witch, My Favorite Witch, and any other Witches or Rogues Blair has planned for us.

A Christmas Baby by Annette Blair nice afternoon historical romance novel. Ashford "Ash" Edward Blackburne, Fifth Earl of Blackburne needs to marry and get his wife pregnant before Christmas. The books starts with him being left at the alter for the second time. He goes to the local tavern and get drunk and start gambling. The tavern owner makes a bet with him if Ash wins he gets the tavern and if he looses he get the tavern's daughter. He looses and get a pig chasing, pickpocket women who trys to shoot him on his wedding night. The romance is funny and very sweet. The end adds in all the characters from the series which is interesting but a little overwhelming. Check out the whole series:An Undeniable Rogue (1) , An Unforgettable Rogue (2) An Unmistakable Rogue (3)and A Christmas Baby (4).

Her rogue series of which this is the fourth and final is off
the shelf AWESOME. They are on my KEEPER shelf and it seems
that everyone else is keeping them too as they are hard to find
but, if you can find them....BUY IT. You will not be disappointed.

This story started off very slowly, and I found it very hard to get into, but I''m glad I stuck with it, because it defintiely picked up as I went along. The Victorian dialect and slang used was much harder to understand compared to other Victorian Romances I've read.

The story is very reminiscent of "My Fair Lady". The Earl takes a lowly wife and teaches her to be a lady, while she teaches him lessons of her own about love and family. (I learned a lesson or two about what's important in life too!)

The two protagonists are extremely likable, and by the end, I found myself wishing they were my own friends!!

I just finished reading Everything Counts and absolutely loved the premise, how it was delivered, and the impact it had on my thinking.

Everything truly does count and I'm going to share this message with my entire team, in fact I just purchased copies for all 37.

Our new internal theme is going to become: Every Detail Counts!

I highly recommend it to anyone who seriously believes that you should sweat the smallest of details.

This is just a very short testimonial and thanks for your book -Everything Counts!

I very much enjoyed reading it and think that you have a very straightforward and clear style. It's great to read a book which does not over-complicate what are really simple strategies for a successful and balanced life.

We are very focussed on goals and goal setting in our business and fully support your message.

I highly recommend this book as everything truly does count!

Everything Counts is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read in my whole life. It helped me to change my perspective of life, to be more optimistic and to be much more sensitive to the details.

Everything Counts is truly recommended for every one. Gary Ryan Blair really intrigued me and my thoughts, and I can't believe how such a small book can pack such a long and powerful message. Trust me, everything does count!

Most peoples' bookshelves are weighed down with self-help books. Some teach you how to lose weight. Others refocus your financial development. Still others help you with relationships. Yet others look at better habits. And others propound moral principles to guide you. What most of these books have in common is that they are usually superseded by a new and better book . . . soon after being published. How can you hope to keep up? Well, you couldn't . . . until now.

Gary Ryan Blair has created something different in the self-help literature -- a philosophy which calls you to attention. This book truly is an awareness building experience as it places significant emphasis on sweating the small stuff, and most of life is a series of small stuff which leads to large consequences.

I absolutely loved it and trust you will as well.

Gary Ryan Blair offers one of the greatest contributions to the field of human potential - a best seller for all the right reasons. The basic ideas are essential for anyone wishing to truly make a difference and achieve.

A mindset and worldview that is relevant for everyone and practical/accessible tools.

"Why can't we all get along"... All the religions that is. This has been a theme and a question that every sensible human being has asked for as long as humanity can remember. This is why we have listened and believed in those humanitarian prophets. Mani was one of them... This major second century prophet only survives in one very diminutive word Manicheism.
Amin Maalouf is a master at recreating dead worlds for our imagination to visit for a while.
He took us to to exotic places like 15th century southern Spain during the Reconquista with Leo Africanus or the 19th century in the Otoman empire with The Rock of Tanios which received the highest literary prize in France in 1993.

This is yet another masterpiece from Amin Maalouf on the middle-eastern history. Amin is a master story-teller on fictions based on middle age history of the middle-east. This book tells the history of Mani the prophet. However, I must concide that Maalouf is not his best in this book as he is in Leo The Africanus or Samarkand. And the translation is also not good.

Having had my hopes dashed by Samarkand and then this book, I have given up on Maalouf for the time being. The subjects he chooses for his historical novels are fascinating (Omar Khayyam, Mani, the founder of the Manicheans,) but his stories are flimsy and left me unsatisfied. They don't offer enough depth of characterization and plot development to be great literature (and they are on the short side, which precludes them from being the awesome historical epics they could be.) And although somewhat informative, they don't offer enough historical detail to make up for in teaching power what they lack in literary craft. This book on Mani was a teasing taste of just how cool a really great book on such an obscurely fascinating character could be. Gore Vidal, if you are reading this...

...founder of Manichaeism, from his first encounters with his inner voice, his first communications with God. He founded a popular religion in Iran while making alliances with the rulers and suggesting a sort of pantheism, embracing aspects of Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism. Well-written and short, but certainly interesting.

Maalouf always the humanist presents us with the life of Mani in the form of historical novel. Well written he brings to life the ancient East during this turbulant era of its history even the odd little bit previously unknown history (such as the Syrian or 'Arab' Ceasar (Even though Syria was not Arab at the time!))

His books are always a pleasent read, this is no exception.

The Cartwright sisters are identical triplets. Each have their own unique psychic gift, in addition to the bonds they share together. Storm is the Goth sister, blue hair color and all. No one understands Storm's power. Storm hears and sees the present, of all things. For most of her life, Storm has been hearing children crying. Her sisters, Harmony and Destiny, thought it was buried guilt making her hallucinate and they kept mute about it. In truth, Storm needs to go on a journey and learn what her spiritual psychic mandate is. Since Storm keeps hearing a baby cry whenever she is around Aiden McCloud, the hunky best man at Harmony's wedding, she decides to follow the sound of the cries.

Aiden McCloud is a wanderer. He has never wanted to set down roots. Aiden owns a motor home and goes where ever he desires. Lately, however, he has been desiring a certain sorceress with blue hair and sassy attitude. "How can a guy ignore a walking orgasm in the shape of a Goddess with magick laughter and satin skin?" But Storm's talk about going on a psychic journey to find a crying baby somehow connected to him just scares Aiden. Therefore, Aiden did what any brave man would do in that situation; he ran! Too bad for him that Storm's powers include telekinesis, if she is passionately mad enough, and she is beyond furious when Aiden tries to run. Time for a little abduction.

Once Aiden convinces himself that he would go alone with Storm's quest of finding a crying baby somehow connected to him (just to prove her wrong, of course), his eyes begin to really open. On their journey, Storm stops the motor home whenever she hears a crying baby's psychic plea. Seeing Storm rescue a few kids begins to shake him up. After all, if Storm was right about those kids in need, then perhaps she really does hear... No! Not something he wants to think about. This is not all fun for Storm either. Her gift for locating kids in need of rescuing leads her to a casino. Within, Storm meets an older version of herself, except with a wicked way of looking at life. Yes, "throw a little water on that woman and watch her melt. Her name is NOT Glinda!" Storm also finds an unexpected surprise. (But you must read to find out what it is.)

As the two travel, their attraction to each other intensifies to frightening proportions. Their little love trip is even hitting the national news. But most importantly, Storm must learn to trust her instincts, accept her powers, and be true to herself if she were ever to have any hope of ever loving a wanderer.

***** A spellbinding story that totally knocked my socks off! No ghosts this time around. Instead, a much more serious topic is covered. Once again I find myself in awe over the author's ability to make the characters so memorable. This is a perfect for your next vacation or day alone and will leave you with a big smile on your face. Author Annette Blair writes priceless romance adventures. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is the fifth book of Annette Blair's that I've read, and I've loved them all. Storm is a great character, and she has wonderful chemistry with Aiden. For sexy, humorous paranormal romances, you can't do better than Annette Blair. Read them all!

This is the second book of Annette Blair's triplet witch trilogy, this one featuring sexy wild child, Goth girl, Storm Cartwright, whose psychic abilities are focused in the present, and more specifically on finding missing children by following the cry of babies in her head. Her mission starts when Storm makes it her business to find the baby she hears crying whenever she's near hot, hunky Aidan McCloud, best man at her sister's wedding.

The laughs start when Storm kidnaps Aidan in his motorcoach, and they just keep on rolling as she takes him on journey to find the child he doesn't know he has. Storm believes she is in charge, but little does she realize where this journey will lead her or how profoundly it will change her life.

Storm's and Aidan's story is loaded with witty repartee and sexual tension, at the same time it is heartwarming and emotionally satisfying. If you like romance, I guarantee you'll enjoy this book on every level. I look forward to Never Been Witched, the last book of the series, and all future stories of the talented, wildy entertaining Annette Blair.

I've loved reading Annette Blair's novels since she introduced the Witches series, and she just keeps getting better and better. Each new story that I read becomes my new favorite, and this is no exception.

This book had everything I love in a novel - I laughed until I had tears, there was wonderful sexual tension between Aiden and Storm, the characters were well-developed, and there was a great plot.

Slight spoiler - the cat with the motion-problem. I laughed so hard I woke up DH.

Waiting on pins and needles for Destiny's story. February can't get here fast enough.

Excellent, Excellent. I have recommended it to others. I can not wait to read the next one.

Character descriptions of the children, the adults and even the objects are clear and made me imagine each one. I identified with the loss of a loved person and I, too, wear a necklace from my mom.

The family members are each unique and I found I liked each one for the place they held in the group. If every family had reactions and love for the members like the family in Kevin Henkes,SUN AND SPOON, the children and the adults alike will all weather life better for the belonging to the family group.

I think this was a great book. I liked the part when spoon takes gram's cards, but when he does that, he also finds out that pa uses them to keep close to her. It was a great book and it made me kinda wanting to cry. In conclusion, It was a very good book and I suggest you guys to read it.

Sort of sad but touching. It is about a kid named spoon, his sister, mom and dad and grandpa. Spoon wants to find something of his grandmother who had died a couple of months ago. Read this book if you want to find out what Spoon finds of his grandmother's.

I thought this book was a very good book. Tha main character is Spoon Gilmore. If you like plays you will like this book. This book is broken up into parts. This is what the book is about. It was only two months since Spoon'sgrandmother died. He thought he would need something to remind him of her. Spoon's little sister Joanie won't stop tagging along and pestering him even when they go into their grandmother's house. I hope you read this book and like it as much as I did.

Kevin Henke did again. He made another one of his spectacular books. Sun and Spoon is a great book for children. It teaches kids honesty, friendship, and family. It talks about a boy who hardly knew a thing about his grandma. Then when he wanted to know a little about her it was to late, she had died. This taught me that I should spend time with older people in my family, especially my great aunt and uncle. That's why I go to their house every other week. This book had a big impact on me and it might do the same to you

Blackbriar is a great mystery for young adults. I read it when i was 11 years old and i still remember it to this day. Its captivating and keeps you on the enge of your seat without being too frightening for a young mind. I would recommend it totally. Enjoy!!!!!!!

Ah who could forget poor Danny, his guardian-the indomitable Philippa, and of course Danny's disdain for Islington, Philippa's surly cat. This story creates a world streaming from the facades of a big industrial and bustling city flat to the quiet misty hills of the English country side, it captures little things like the clumsiness of eating on train rides, the fleeting white cat into the woods, carving on wooden doors, witchcraft, and the crackle of fire at night. This is the stuff that makes Sleator stand out, and to this day I even remember the characters as if they were good friends. I am not sure if Danny's interest's name is Lark. She comes later in the story, but her presence adds to the adventure, as Danny has a co-conspirator in his shenanigans in the new house. When I first went to England seven years ago, it was as if this book painted a perfect picture of what it must have always looked like. I wonder if Sleator had written this book while he was there?

Blackbriar is a book by William Sleator that could fall into Fantasy/Mystery section. A boy named Danny lives with his caretaker Phillipa in London. Phillipa decides to move away from London and they go to Blackbriar, a small cottage in the middle of the woods. As soon as they get there, their cat, Islington, starts to act strange by not wanting to go in the house. During the night, Danny hears chanting and laughter and one time, a strange man showed up at there door asking for a woman named Mary Peachy. Danny notices a list of names in the cellar, people that used to live there. All of the people have a date they got there and a date they left except for one, Mary Peachy, who departure date is not there. Also, there is a wooden doll which Islington (the cat) seems to be obsessed with and will claw at it. Danny meats a girl named Lark who is interested in the Mary Peachy thing and together they try to solve the mystery of the doll, Mary Peachy, the strange man, the chanting, and the odd procession which happens at the tumuli. I thought this book was interesting and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

I have to agree with the other reviewers, I read this book when I was in Junior High (some 20 years ago) and I still remember it. It is a favorite of mine and still gives me chills late at night!

It is hard to know what is the character's imagination and what is really happening, and when the Reader finds out what is really going the scare intensifies instead of lessening!

I have been searching for this book forever and cannot wait until I get it and can read it again! It will never leave my collection again.

I first read this book while I was in Junior High ( many years ago) and it's still on my bookshelf. I drag it out and reread it every so often because it's a fascinating, well written, really captivating story with a lot of historical detail and well developed charactors. It's one of those books you can read in one or two sittings because you are so drawn in and involved.
The only thing I did not like was the author's negitive portrayal of British Withchcraft, I've met British Witches and know they are not the evil cat sacrificing folks depicted in the story. But I will forgive the author for this blunder, since there is so much ignorance out there and he was working with the limited information available at the time the book was written.
Overall, it was a great read and a great story.When I was a kid, I was just cativated by the description of an ancient old house way out in the country that you had to reach by land rover, still available in our modern world. It was like a trip into another world.